healthmisinformation
By Hera Rizwan The X (formerly Twitter) account of Dr Cyriac Philips, who is popularly known as TheLiverDr, was suspended in India on Thursday. This is in response to a "legal demand", as mentioned on the suspended account. Philips, a Senior Consultant at The Liver Institute at Kerala's Rajagiri Hospital, is often known for countering health misinformation and questioning the viability of alternative medicines like ayurveda, unani and homeopathy, on X and Instagram. Philips, who was intimated by the social media platform about the account suspension via mail, told BOOM that this has been done ...
BOOM Live
By Sana Fazili Remember that time when cow urine was suggested as a remedy for Covid-19? Or cow dung and mud bath were promoted as cure for virus infection? Health misinformation is not new but the Covid-19 pandemic really revealed the troubles of "infodemic", a term that the World Health Organisation (WHO) coined for the spurt in fake news and misinformation. A bunch of vegetables, some fruits and a dash of herbs and there it is--internet's remedy for any health condition from acne to respiratory and gut issues. Social media is full of instances where influencers (with no qualification) promo...
BOOM Live
By Sana Fazili Remember that time when cow urine was suggested as a remedy for Covid-19? Or cow dung and mud bath were promoted as cure for virus infection? Health misinformation is not new but the Covid-19 pandemic really revealed the troubles of "infodemic", a term that the World Health Organisation (WHO) coined for the spurt in fake news and misinformation. A bunch of vegetables, some fruits and a dash of herbs and there it is--internet's remedy for any health condition from acne to respiratory and gut issues. Social media is full of instances where influencers (with no qualification) promo...
BOOM Live
The pandemic has exposed our knowledge gap. There’s an urgent need to promote evidence-based reasoning and interdisciplinary approach, powered by collaboration. By Jisha Krishnan India celebrates National Science Day on February 28 every year. It is a celebration of the discovery of the Raman Effect – a discovery that earned Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, an Indian physicist, the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. The idea behind the day was to encourage young minds to develop interest in science and understand its significance. Today, as the world struggles to cope with an unprecedented influ...
Health Analytics
A viral WhatsApp video, circulating in India, peddles old misleading claims about the coronavirus in an engaging way. By Tej Kumar Amidst reports of surging COVID-19 cases across the globe, there has been a resurgence of old misleading claims about the coronavirus. Albeit in new packaging. Consider this viral WhatsApp video circulating in India, for instance. None of the claims are new, yet the presentation is engaging and inspiring people to share it widely. So, here’s debunking 6 common myths about COVID-19 that refuse to die: 1) Coronavirus pneumonia is a dry cough with no runny nose. Fact:...
Health Analytics
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Despite social media posts declaring that “lungs can be easily detoxed after smoking” with homemade remedies, there’s no scientific evidence to support the claims. By Tej Kumar As the world observes Lung Cancer Awareness Month through November, it’s important to set straight the countless social media posts claiming that “lungs can be easily detoxed after smoking” with homemade remedies. Viral videos on Facebook and YouTube are promoting similar homegrown detox drinks, comprising ingredients such as castor oil, liquorice root, ginger, and peppermint. Ho...
Health Analytics
It might compel people to believe that there is no pandemic, and that we are being lied to about the virus. And this, in turn, might make them lower their guard – and indulge in COVID-inappropriate behaviour. By Varadarajan Ananthakrishnan We are close to completing two years amid the COVID pandemic – sure, we know that. But astonishingly, there is a sizeable group of people calling it the “plandemic”, “a common cold and flu”, “a hyped virus” and so on. If this group was just the usual suspects – random people posting their uninformed opinions on the pandemic, then one might not bother. But wh...
Health Analytics
Contrary to what viral YouTube videos claim, studies show that there could be adverse effects of consuming bitter gourd daily. Experts warn against the possibility of toxicity due to overconsumption. By Tej Kumar A viral YouTube video claims that drinking bitter gourd juice every day is an effective home remedy for diabetes. Thevideo (in English) has garnered over 2,40,000 views and has prompted similar videos in other Indian languages, such as Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil. While bitter gourd (aka Momordica charantia, karela, or bitter melon) has been used as a hypoglycaemic agent for lo...
Health Analytics
A primary healthcare practitioner from the Republic of Congo, Africa, sheds light on the challenges of fighting health misinformation during the pandemic. By Dr. Raphael Byamungu Combating health-related misinformation is no easy task, particularly during the pandemic. As the Republic of Congo battles the third wave of COVID-19, the yawning vaccine gap between rich and poor countries continues to be a major challenge. To make matters worse, there are numerous unscientific and harmful claims being made on social media – that spread fear and vaccine hesitancy among the public. Here are two commo...
Health Analytics
People fail to distinguish between information and misinformation, make sure to pay attention to the message quality. By Varadarajan Ananthakrishnan Recently, I came across a study that India is the top source of social media misinformation on COVID-19. I have to confess I am not a big fan of these studies.But this particular one piqued my interest, not because I trusted this study completely, but given the sheer volume of posts that emerge from India, this may not be too far-fetched. Going by the experience of the last eighteen months and more, we now know that these misinformation posts can ...
Health Analytics
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